Analyzing and refuting the inaccuracies lodged against the lgbt community by religious conservative organizations. Lies in the name of God are still lies.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Violence is fine, just as long as no one gets naked

This isn't necessarily a gay issue but it illustrates the mindset of those who think that lgbts are the ruination of America:

The Chicago Shakespeare Theater's production of Macbeth left one audience member outraged over some surprising content.

Laurie Higgins, the director of the division of school advocacy at the Illinois Family Institute (IFI), is a fan of Shakespeare and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. But while attending a recent production of Macbeth, she was shocked when the actress portraying Lady Macbeth performed scenes topless.

. . . The play also included simulated sex scenes -- with one of the actors fondling Lady Macbeth's bare breasts -- and one scene was set in a strip bar with scantily clad actresses in leather thongs.

Higgins is the "activist" who helped give Deerfield High School in Illinois so much uncalled for attention last year. She helped create a moral panic because the lgbt play Angels in America was being read in a senior honors English class.

Higgins and those who agreed with her point of view (including our friend Peter LaBarbera) incorrectly said that children were being "indoctrinated into homosexuality" and were "forced" to read the play.

LaBarbera even posted some of the more questionable play dialogue on his webpage in an attempt to induce further outrage.

Of course Higgins, LaBarbera, and others who tried to say that Deerfield was "under siege" by the lgbt community convienently omitted that Angels in America was not required reading (students had a choice between the play and The Plague by Albert Camus). They also failed to mention that students were required to get their parents' permission in order to read Angels in America.

So much for that moral panic. What makes this one interesting is the play itself.

Those who are familiar with Shakespeare know that Macbeth tells the tale of a loyal soldier whose ambition leads him to become king of Scotland through violent means.

The play is filled with images of witchcraft, violence, blood, and murder. One scene even has a child being killed in front of his mother.

But Higgins makes no mention of Macbeth's violence in the article.

Maybe she thinks that Macbeth's violence is fine, just as long as we don't get to see Lady Macbeth's breasts.

Perhaps Higgins would be placated if Lady Macbeth was given a sharp left hook instead.

About Me

Alvin McEwen is 46-year-old African-American gay man who resides in Columbia, SC.
McEwen's blog, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, and writings have been mentioned by Americablog.com, Goodasyou.org, People for the American Way, PageOneQ.com, The Washington Post, Raw Story, The Advocate, Media Matters for America, Crooksandliars.com, Thinkprogress.org, Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish, Melissa Harris-Perry, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, The Washington Blade, and Foxnews.com.
In addition, he is also a past contributor to Pam's House Blend,Justice For All, LGBTQ Nation, and Alternet.org. He is a present contributor to the Daily Kos and the Huffington Post,
He is the 2007 recipient of the Harriet Daniels Hancock Volunteer of the Year Award and the 2010 recipient of the Order of the Pink Palmetto from the SC Pride Movement as well as the 2009 recipient of the Audre Lorde/James Baldwin Civil Rights Activist Award from SC Black Pride. In addition, he is a three-time nominee of the Ed Madden Media Advocacy Award from SC Pride.